Improvement



N. HAWKINS.

COAL-HOD.

No.175,247. Patented March 28,1876.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT QFFI-CE.

NEHEMIAH HAWKINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

llVlPROVEMENT iN COAL HODS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175,247, dated March28, 1876 application filed July 20, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NEHEMIAH HAWKINS, ofChicago, Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in (Joal-Hods, ofwhich the following is a specification:

My invention relates to certain improvements in coal-hods or similarvessels, and consists in the construction of a wooden bottom or othersimilar material, lined on both sides with sheet metal, to which thebody of the hod is affixed, in the manner hereafter described.

In drawings forming part of these specificaations, Figure l is anoutside perspective view of my coal-hod. Fig. 2 shows a vertical sectionof the same. Fig. 3 shows a sectional plan on line X X of Fig. 2. Fig. 4is a sectional view of the inner shell.

The construction of my coal-hod will be readily understood from thefollowing:

A slat of wood, A, or other suitable material, is cut to the shape ofthe bottom of the coal-hod, covered on both sides with sheet metal, andthen firmly riveted together, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In this manneran equivalent of a regular truss structure is formed, the metal plates aand a performing the office of the chords, and the wood A, in

connection with the rivets b, the office of stays and tension-rods, andit will readily be seen that in this manner a very strong and yet lightbottom plate is produced. Tightly drawn around this bottom plate is athin band about two and a halt to three inches in width, which isthoroughlyunited thereto by nails or long rivets c, driven from theoutside into the wood A, between the metal plates, and thus forming aninner vessel, as shown in Fig. 4. This vessel, placed in the lower partof the hod, serves to confine water and moist substances, with whichcoal is so often saturated, the accumulation of which is the principalcause of destruction at or near the bottom of together similar ordinarycoal -hods. To prevent the water aifecting the corners of this vessel Iprefer to make the above-mentioned band B and the top metallic plate a,of galvanized iron. Firmly afiixed to this inner vessel is the main bodyof the coal-hod D, not differing in shape or size from the ordinary hod,and the same is riveted to the band B, and thereafter bent inside at itslower rim at d, the body projecting below the bottom plate a. Thisflange (1 gives now an additional hold to the bottom plate, and thus astrong and uniform structure is formed from the bottom plate, the innershell, and the main body. The foot-piece 0 is now fastened to the mainbody, and the whole structure by means of nails f penetrating throughthe body D, the shell B, into the wood A of the bottom plate. 7

The advantages gained by this method of construction are: first, itforms a joint answering the same purpose as, yet far superior to, theseam-joint in common use for putting articles; second, it admits the useof iron too thick or brittle to be seamed third, it adds greatly to thestrength and rigidity of the structure by giving it a strong basis.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the body D, having an inwardly-turned flange on itslower edge; the hoop or foot-piece 0, arranged externally to the body;the band B, surrounding the bottom piece and extending above it, therebyforming a lining in the lower part of the hod and the bottom piece A,inclosed above and below by the disks a and a, all substantially as andfor the purposes specified.

NEHEMIAH HAWKINS.

Witnesses:

. P. F. CHASE, H. G. CHASE.

